Weekend Offers Juicy Matches for Club Soccer Fans

The times during the soccer season when action in Europe's domestic leagues pauses for international qualification matches are moments of frustration for many fans. Not only must they wait two weeks before they can watch their beloved club teams play again, they have to endure international games that are often stilted affairs and the horrifying prospect of star players getting injured.

Although the internationals on Tuesday were more exciting than usual—there was the monsoon in Poland, Sweden's remarkable four-all draw against Germany and a pitch brawl in Serbia—soccer fans will be raring to get back into the stands and into their armchairs for this weekend's glamorous club fixtures.

The English Premier League throws up two tasty ties, one at the start and one at the end of a busy schedule. At lunchtime on Saturday, Tottenham takes on Chelsea in a London derby that should be full of quality and bite. Tottenham hasn't lost for nine matches and has the benefit of playing at home at White Hart Lane, but Chelsea hasn't lost at all and sits confidently at the top of the league. Chelsea Manager Roberto Di Matteo has added the attacking flair of Eden Hazard and the Brazilian Oscar to a defensive line up that won the UEFA Champions League last year and will be thinking only of victory.

On Sunday, Sunderland welcomes Newcastle to the Stadium of Light and there the cordialities will end. This northeasterly tussle is notoriously raucous and although both teams have some silky players, balance and skill tend to be abandoned in favor of tough and mistimed tackling. Sunderland has only conceded one goal at home this season but if Papiss Demba Cissé, one of Newcastle's two Senegalese strikers, doesn't score the other one, Demba Ba, normally does.

In between these two matches, Manchester United should manage a home victory against Stoke City, a club that hasn't won at Old Trafford since 1976. And Liverpool, a team trying to match the attacking football demanded by new manager Brendan Rodgers with some points on the board, will be expected to pick up a win versus relegation-zone Reading.

In Spain's La Liga, Real Madrid is already eight points behind Barcelona and, as Barcelona almost never loses, this is a lot. With Cristiano Ronaldo in its ranks, Madrid should beat Celta de Vigo at home in the Bernabéu, but then Barcelona will be the sure favorite away to Deportivo de La Coruña, lying 18th in the league.

There is a treat in store in Italy, where Serie A's current top-two teams, Juventus and Napoli, will play each other on Saturday. Although Napoli's Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani isn't injured, he may be tired after playing for his country against Bolivia in the heights of La Paz on Tuesday. Having watched him score six goals in seven league matches this year, the "Partenopei" will be hoping he's a happy traveler. Juventus has a worry of its own: goalkeeper and captain Gianluigi Buffon missed Italy's match versus Denmark on Tuesday having strained his thigh playing against Armenia the Friday before. If Buffon misses the most important match of the season so far, Juventus fans will be those cursing the international break most loudly.

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